In this news alert:

Effective 20 November 2019, companies that are registered with the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) can start to apply for their 2020 Foreign Knowledge Worker (FKW) projection for Employment Passes (EP) and Professional Visit Passes (PVP).

How does it work?

Companies that intend to employ foreign nationals in Malaysia in 2020 must have the projection approved before any EP or PVP applications can be submitted to ESD.
Applications must be made online via the ESD portal with the company’s login ID.
The standard processing time for FKW projection is approximately 5-10 working days from the date of submission. The timeline may stretch depending on the volume of cases waiting to be processed and approved by the agency.
The timeline is also subject to follow-up requests for additional information or documents, especially if the company submits a high-volume FKW projection for 2020.
Employers should also remember that the current unused balance of their 2019 projection will not be carried forward for 2020.

Our Advice

Companies registered with ESD and intending to employ foreign nationals in Malaysia in 2020 should ensure that they provide the required information and documents in support of their projection application as soon as possible, to avoid any delay.

Employers who may be affected are encouraged to contact a Newland Chase immigration specialist for case-specific advice.